Parson to Person
#5 - An ongoing 'imaginative/non-fictional series. Find earlier entries in the series in the archives menu.
A few days passed where I played phone tag with Jay Dukes. I did my best to leave upbeat sounding messages on his machine. His replies sounded stern to me. I was torn between wanting to talk to him to get it over with, and being thankful for the few days we’d been missing one another. This little reprieve gave me time to really pray about it. I returned to 1Timothy 5:1 often in my mind, “Do not rebuke an older man harshly but exhort him as if her were your father.”
I was gathering my things to head to the weekly pastor’s prayer meeting when Lois called out to me, “Brian, there’s a Robert Smith on the telephone for you. Are you available?”
I wasn’t sure I knew anyone named Robert Smith but decided to take the call anyway. Walking out the door to a meeting was a great excuse to stifle a tele-marketing call.
“This is Brian”
“Parson” the voice on the phone began.
I recognized that greeting immediately. Tre’, the cook at the diner was the only person who ever called me Parson. In fact, he’s the only person I’ve ever heard use the word.
He continued. “It’s Robert Smith, you know? Tre’? At the café? Listen, I don’t know if calling you is the right thing or not. You know Robin? She has always thought the world of you and your wife.”
“Is something wrong Tre’?” I interrupted.
“They told her she has cancer. It’s like both her parents. Her father died from it. She’s really upset. I thought maybe if I gave you her number…”
I vaguely remembered hearing about her dad. I thought it was colon cancer. I knew that Sarah would remember. Sarah’s family history caused her to have regular tests for colon cancer. I thanked Tre’ for the call and assured him I’d contact Robin.
A quick call to Sarah helped me recall the details. It was colon cancer, and she lost her dad when she was a teenager. Sarah reminded me of the high success rate in beating colon cancer when it’s discovered early. She offered, “Brian, maybe I should call her. You know with my history, we have a lot in common.”
Lois stepped in, “Brian, there’s someone to see you." I looked up to see Robin in the doorway. “Sarah, I’ll call you back.”
A few days passed where I played phone tag with Jay Dukes. I did my best to leave upbeat sounding messages on his machine. His replies sounded stern to me. I was torn between wanting to talk to him to get it over with, and being thankful for the few days we’d been missing one another. This little reprieve gave me time to really pray about it. I returned to 1Timothy 5:1 often in my mind, “Do not rebuke an older man harshly but exhort him as if her were your father.”
I was gathering my things to head to the weekly pastor’s prayer meeting when Lois called out to me, “Brian, there’s a Robert Smith on the telephone for you. Are you available?”
I wasn’t sure I knew anyone named Robert Smith but decided to take the call anyway. Walking out the door to a meeting was a great excuse to stifle a tele-marketing call.
“This is Brian”
“Parson” the voice on the phone began.
I recognized that greeting immediately. Tre’, the cook at the diner was the only person who ever called me Parson. In fact, he’s the only person I’ve ever heard use the word.
He continued. “It’s Robert Smith, you know? Tre’? At the café? Listen, I don’t know if calling you is the right thing or not. You know Robin? She has always thought the world of you and your wife.”
“Is something wrong Tre’?” I interrupted.
“They told her she has cancer. It’s like both her parents. Her father died from it. She’s really upset. I thought maybe if I gave you her number…”
I vaguely remembered hearing about her dad. I thought it was colon cancer. I knew that Sarah would remember. Sarah’s family history caused her to have regular tests for colon cancer. I thanked Tre’ for the call and assured him I’d contact Robin.
A quick call to Sarah helped me recall the details. It was colon cancer, and she lost her dad when she was a teenager. Sarah reminded me of the high success rate in beating colon cancer when it’s discovered early. She offered, “Brian, maybe I should call her. You know with my history, we have a lot in common.”
Lois stepped in, “Brian, there’s someone to see you." I looked up to see Robin in the doorway. “Sarah, I’ll call you back.”
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